Every business owner needs a professional headshot at some point, even if you do not own a service-based business. Showing your brand’s unique personality through its team is a great opportunity to set your business apart from other competitors. From countless interactions with entrepreneurs all over the Central Valley area from Fresno to Visalia and beyond, I know that a lot of business owners take a one-and-done approach, never updating their first headshot…
Read MoreMarketing options are absolutely endless, and it’s just one of so many business decisions you need to make every month, week, and day. I have felt overwhelmed at times trying to juggle everything, from taxes to advertising to client relationships and more. At the end of the day, though, the question is simple: what is the best thing you can do for your small business?
Luckily, in terms of marketing, the answer is even simpler. It’s not about the exact right amount of money spent, or even the perfect design for your website. It’s all about who your customer is. So, in short, the answer to the question is this:
Read MoreOne complaint I often hear about marketing: it’s expensive. On the one hand, I truly believe that great marketing will pay off far more than any monetary investment you make but on the other hand, I completely understand that everything is expensive (especially right now!) and a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners are constantly looking for ways to cut costs.
The good news is that good marketing does not have to mean big money, and since I regularly work within the constraints of a tight budget, I have learned a lot of free marketing ideas over the years. So if you need a few easy and free ways to marketing your business, here are my top 5:
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I was totally overwhelmed. I had just picked up some new clients, increased hours a LOT for Easton Outdoors, and a lot of life was happening in between the working hours, not to mention the intense amount of training I’ve opted for leading up to the Boston Marathon. As I juggled everything I had to do day in and day out, I knew that I either had to make some changes or offload a few things from my plate. I know myself well enough to realize that cutting back would be a pretty drastic measure if it had to happen, so it wasn’t my first choice. But something had to give…
Read MoreEvery year there are dozens of possibilities for business purchases and investments, and the beginning of the year usually brings a lot of those decisions to light - along with the cost of buying the things you’ve been eyeing for awhile! With a lot of opportunities before you it can be easy to get overwhelmed, so I’m here to help. Here are my three recommendations for the best investments to make in your small business as the year begins.
1) Hire a CPA…
Read MoreNobody, including me, knew what to expect coming into 2021. The world was still partially shut down with some limited re-openings, vaccines were just starting to roll out, and there was only a small hope of normalcy on the horizon. The news seemed mostly negative (well, I guess it still does), traveling was still a question mark, and all of us realized we were in it for the long haul.
As I sit here in the last month of the year, I can truly say that I had no dreams of doing the things I have been able to over the past 12 months. There have been a lot of highs and lows, but in the spirit of celebrating the joy and peace that we want so desperately out of a holiday season, here are my personal and business highlights over the past year. Enjoy reliving the best moments with me!
Read MoreProductivity. It’s a word that can bring up a lot of emotions, both good and bad, that may change from day to day or month to month. When we are at our best and most productive we can feel accomplished, powerful, and efficient. But we cannot live life at the top of our game all the time, and as a result there will be seasons when being productive is not a consistent part of our lives.
I first started this business when I was working full-time at another job, and it didn’t take long to realize that I had to make the most of the limited time I was given each day after work. I tried and failed in a few different ways, but over time I have streamlined a lot of my processes to make sure I can get done what I need to in the time frame I’m given…
Read MoreOver time, all of us have dealt with customers who, for one reason or the other, were unhappy at the end of our transaction. Maybe they weren’t a great fit in the first place, or maybe something went wrong that was out of your control. Of course, sometimes we make mistakes - we’re all human, after all! - and the experience was objectively negative for everyone involved.
It’s not a great feeling when that happens, and it’s even worse when those particular customers decide to add a negative online review to your Google or Yelp profile. The bad news is that it’s there forever (unless the review is truly spam), and future potential customers will be able to see exactly what went wrong, whether true or not.
Read MoreI wrote a few years ago about what a day in my life generally looks like, and it surprisingly turned out to be one of my most popular blogs. Since then, things have changed as business has shifted and Willow has gotten older…and, of course, when she started daycare a little over a year ago. So as an update to what life looks like for me on a day-to-day basis, here’s what I do!
Note: I feel like I have to mention first that I have learned to not adhere to a schedule so strictly that I can’t give myself a little grace, breathing room, or a random day to sleep in here and there. Then the rest of my day can fluctuate as needed.
Morning…
Read MoreMaybe it’s been months since your business had to close its doors, but now things are finally starting to re-open! The problem is that this is true for everyone in your niche, and it’s easy to get drowned out in the noise of announcements from every corner of the internet. How can you stand out as your business opens its doors again? Here are five creative ways to make your announcement and get attention from past and future customers.
Read MoreMarketing your small business is always a good idea, no matter what state our country is in - which, right now, is pretty precarious and differs wildly depending on where you live. While there’s no way to fully prepare for a pandemic that suddenly closes anything and everything, there are still tons of ways to market your business in the midst of chaos. Today’s five minute marketing tip is all about a few quick, easy, and free ways to market your business, both now and anytime in the future…
Read MoreIf you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know that blogging is at the core of my business, and I’ve been doing it for years. When I started out, I had no clue how to effectively use blogs to make money or attract new customers, so I just wrote about my life. Fast-forward to today, and it takes a lot longer to craft the perfect blog post…yet it’s 10x as effective as it was before I paid more attention!
Most business owners have no idea how to write an effective blog post, and I often see people writing just to write. While there’s nothing wrong with that (and YAY to those who are creating content regularly!), it’s simply not the best use of your time…and your blogs could be doing SO much more! Before you get started on your next blog, here are the 3 things you should do for every post you write - and I’ll tell you exactly why you should be doing them, too!
Read MoreCongratulations! You’ve evaluated your marketing efforts, researched your target market and found out who follows you and what kind of content they’re looking for, and now you’re ready for the final step: actually creating a marketing strategy for your small business!
I hope by now it has become obvious what platforms work best for you, where your time has been well spent (and where you might need to shift away some time), and what kind of content you can create that speaks to your audience. Now let’s talk about creating an actual marketing strategy for the entire year ahead! Grab a year-long planner or calendar (I use this one and love it - plus it has an instant download!) and let’s get to work.
Read MoreNow that you’ve evaluated your marketing efforts, let’s move to the next step: research. Now before you close your browser and go running for the hills, know that this step does not have to be complicated or take a very long time, but it is crucial in finding out where to market, and will give you a clear ‘why’ behind the marketing. You can post on Instagram all day long, but if your target marketing doesn’t live there, it’s not a good use of your time! Regardless of what decisions you make, you should at least know where you can go to reach your ideal customers.
There are a few different types of research you can conduct, so I’ll break down the basics here…although I can’t possibly exhaust every option in one blog post!
Read MoreIf you’re reading this, I know you have heard of marketing before…in fact, you’re probably actively working to market something, whether you are a small business owner or you simply have a side hobby that makes a little extra cash. The key element that so many people are missing, however, is a clear marketing strategy that gives a path forward for what to do and how to do it. Most of our marketing efforts involve wasted time, energy, and possibly even money, and a marketing strategy is the most effective way to prevent this from happening.
One of my main roles is to create a marketing strategy for clients, from a landscaping company to a local day spa to photographers and everyone in between. The hardest part is knowing where to begin, so I wanted to write a series addressing the how-to of creating an effective marketing strategy that will serve you for years to come.
The first step in creating a marketing strategy is looking back at what worked and what didn’t for your business. Let’s break down what an actual business evaluation looks like.
Read MoreThe title of this post may sound gimmicky, but I’m not into gimmicks…just marketing advice that is 100% true and 100% helpful…yet easy to implement at the same time. That said, let me jump right into the easiest way to increase your Facebook likes for free!
The truth is, as much as it seems like the opposite is true, Facebook wants your business page to succeed. The happier you are with the results you see, the more advertising dollars they get and the more satisfied the consumer (aka anyone not running a business) is, which leads to their own business success. Yes, they have become a ‘pay-to-play’ platform in many respects, but they offer the most options for getting to know who your ideal customer truly is…and reaching them quickly and easily, even if you have to pay a little to do that…
Read MoreOne of the questions I most frequently hear is, “How do I get more Facebook likes?” or “How do I get more followers on Instagram?” And above all, the follow-up question is, “How can I get more social media fans for free?”
Social media is a whirlwind, and it can be difficult to cut through the noise and actually get your message heard. Business owners everywhere struggle with finding and keeping a following, and even when you’ve accomplished that, it’s frustrating to post on your page and hear virtual crickets from your followers. What’s worse, when you compare your page to a competitor’s, you’ve noticed their audience is way bigger…and seems to actually love the content they’re producing. So what gives?
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